‘Akash Mati Jol’ celebrates the ever-changing beauty of Bangladesh

Updated : 8 October 2026, 10:00

Aishwarya Raihan

‘Akash Mati Jol’ celebrates the ever-changing beauty of Bangladesh

Photos: Abrar Faiyaz Niloy

The beauty of Bangladesh in the six seasons is unpredictable and forever-changing. Over time, due to seasonal and man-made changes in the environment, nature takes on its own forms, changing with the hours, days, and months of the year. And there is no end to painting these wonderful sceneries for artists and creative individuals because the hues change every second. Thus, each painting is a unique piece. Therefore, seven women artists of Bangladesh have come together at Bhumi Gallery to exhibit each of their special portrayals of nature in Bangladesh.

Bhumi Gallery inaugurated “Akash Mati Jol” – a group art exhibition featuring artists Jyoutsna Mahbuba, Hosna Banu Chotna, Zemrina Haque, Monidipa Dasgupta, Mukti Bhowmik, Fahmida Enam Kakoli, Nargis Akter Punam, and guest artist Kanak Chanpa Chakma. Art critic Moinuddin Khaled, eminent artist Kanak Chanpa Chakma, and the Trustee of Liberation War Museum, Gitanka Debdip Datta, attended the ceremony as guests. Hosted by the CEO of Bhumi, Saifur Rahman Lenin, the exhibition opened on October 2.

Bhumi Gallery is adorned with artwork from women artists, each with their distinctive art styles. The first line of work that caught my eyes belongs to Hosna Banu Chotna. She loves to paint old walls, creepers, leaves, vines, etc. She uses textures and mostly muted, earthy colours, which soothe the eyes, and her work looks like it is straight out of fairy tales. Nargis Akter Punam has filled her canvases with countless shades of blue in skies and waters, where she has shown some forms of human activities too. But her “Pran Prokriti- 3” is the most ethereal work she has ever produced. It looks like it descended from the heavens.

Zemrina Haque, along with her other pieces, painted a tiny, adorable image with breathing roots. But she also exhibits two large abstract paintings, one of which is filled with green and yellow. This particular piece represents the cycle of life, just like tree leaves turning yellow from green and going back to earth. As a person in love with life, she says that the colour of love should be green, as it is universal and represents our life force. Speaking of life, Mukti Bhowmik reminisces about her life as a little girl that still resides in her heart. Her attachment towards nature is depicted through her sculptures, where she is under a leaf-umbrella enjoying the rain, running with her neighbour’s goats, or simply relaxing.

Monidipa Dasgupta, a former student of Graphic Design, worked with lines and shapes that resulted in a unique portrayal of nature. Her colours are bright and her lines are crisp. She painted stars as flowers in the sky. Fahmida Enam Kakoli too loves to use vibrant colours to depict emotions and innermost thoughts of people. But she has also applied similar hues and painted nature in her own unconventional way.

Kanak Chanpa Chakma’s painting of an indigenous girl in her usual style is amplifying the beauty of the gallery space. The senior-most artist in this exhibition, Jyoutsna Mahbuba, worked with flowers, leaves, and birds. She explained her complicated printmaking process and how she enjoyed it. One of her loveliest pieces reminded me of our national Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam’s song “Bhore Jhiler Jole Shaluk Padma Tole” (who picks waterlilies and lotus in wetlands at dawn).